Strike at Lieferando: 2,000 drivers in Frankfurt demand justice!

Strike at Lieferando: 2,000 drivers in Frankfurt demand justice!

The world of work at Lieferando is currently in turmoil. Last Thursday, the Food-Gourmet-Gastronomy Union (NGG) called for a nationwide warning strike to protest against the announced mass layoffs of 2,000 drivers. The central protest took place at Frankfurt's Hauptwache, where numerous employees demonstrated for better working conditions and a collective agreement. This decisive action stretched from the afternoon hours to midnight, during which people objected to the ongoing refusal of Lieferando parent company Just Eat Takeaway to negotiate a collective agreement, reports Frankfurter Neue Presse.

The reason for the strike is massive job cuts, which not only affects 2,000 direct jobs, but could also result in massive uncertainty for the entire delivery fleet. The employees were informed via email at 4 p.m. on Thursday that they were affected by the termination. This happened at a time when protests against the oppression of working conditions are taking place not only in Frankfurt, but also in Offenbach and Darmstadt. Jan van Aken, the federal leader of the Left Party, gave a passionate speech at the rally in Frankfurt in which he supported the union's demands, reports the Hesse show.

Union demands

The NGG is energetically campaigning for a collective agreement that not only includes a minimum wage of 15 euros, but also guarantees collective surcharges and better working conditions. In view of the high inflation rates, the union believes that these demands are more than overdue. Anna Langensiepen, union secretary, emphasized during the rally how important it is that workers are rewarded with appropriate working conditions and wages. Lieferando is also accused of building a so-called “shadow fleet” by increasingly delegating services to subcontractors.

Lieferando's company spokesman described NGG's representation as "misleading" and argued that the directly employed drivers already earn over 14 euros per hour and also receive vacation pay and paid overtime. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains high, as layoffs are primarily linked to the aim of reducing the number of directly employed employees and relying more heavily on subcontractors, which, according to the union, worsens the working conditions of those affected, as in the current reports from the Federal Agency for Civic Education can be read.

Future perspectives

The ongoing protests and warning strikes that began two weeks ago in Hamburg show that the situation is not only explosive locally, but throughout Germany. With over 20% of the fleet affected by the layoffs, Lieferando - as Germany's largest delivery service - is facing a real challenge. There is no end to the strikes in sight; Further actions are already planned to increase the pressure on the company.

The company expects the direct impact on customers to be minimal, as many restaurants also employ their own drivers. However, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what approach the union and the affected drivers will implement in their demands.